wenham



2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

F'. H.; WENHAM.

GAS LAMP.

Patented July 17.1883.

UNITED' STATES 'PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS HERBERT WENHAM, OF'WARBEOK ROAD, SHEPHERDS BUSH, COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND.

GAS-LAMP.`

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters lfatent No. 281,590, dated July 17, 1883.

Application tiled Api-H18, 1883. (No model.) Patented in England August 2R, 1882, No. 4,109, andrin France September 25,

1F82. No. 151,260.

To all whom it may concern: A

Be it known that I, FRANcIs HERBERT WEN- HAM, a subject of the'Queenof Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at Warbeck Road, Shepherds Bush, county of Middlesex; England, have invented certain Improvements in Gas-Lamps, (for which I have obtained' Letters Patent in Great Britain, No. 4,109, dated August 28, 1882, and. France -NOQ- 151,260, dated September 25, 1882,) of which the following is a specification.

My improvements in gas-lamps have for their obj ect to increase the illuminating-power and- 'be termed a flat or curved form or unbroken sheet of flame spread out laterally, as

l hereinafter described.

The gas supply is conveyed downward through a pipe, a, and branches or legs a2 to a ring=burner, b. This burner b may be of various forms; but I prefer an annulus resembling the burner known as the Argand Burner 7 inverted. The said gas-pipe a descends through a chimney, c, in the lower end of which chimney is situated an inner chamber, d, closed at the top, through which also the gas-pipe a passes. Outer air to supply the flame is admitted by side passages or holes, e, cutthrough the chimney and the inner chamber, d. Y The lower end of the said chamber d projects downward, as shown, and has'formed on or affixed thereto a bell mouthed bulbous or conical nozzle or termination, k, somewhat exceeding in the diameter of its opening that of theArgand or ring burner b, which it encircles or surrounds.

Attached to the lower end of the chimney c is a flange. or plate, f, which serves as a cover Vfor the glass g of the lamp. This glass may be in one piece, either cylindrical, globular, or

made up of 'several panes of glass,which should be framed together approximately tight, as all or nearly all air necessary for combustion is supplied through the holes e.

Within the lamp-glass is a truncated cone orV the said casing from currents of air that might cause the light to be unsteady.

It will be evident that the casing j may, if desired, be only situated at the parts of the chimney at which the openings e occur, in place of being a continuous annular casing, as shown. The downward descent of the inner current of air is prevented by a disk or button, n, of metal, clay, or other incombusti- Vble substance. The space between the nozzle Ikand the periphery of the burner I) is covered with an'annulus of wire-gauze, l, or metal or clay ware, or other incombustible substance, perforated with numerous small holes or openings, and either fiat or preferably of a dished form, or slightly coned outward, asl shown. This annulus is for the purpose of distributing the air-supply over a large surface of iiame, and may be-carried by a ring-piece attached to the bell-mouth 7c. In order still farther to extend the flame, the bell-,mouth 7c may be surrounded by ailange or ring, o,which may form part ofthe ring carrying the gauze or perforated annulus l. The orifice through the burner should also be covered with gauze or a perforated or divided plate or plates, m2, or equivalent means for moderating the downward velocity of the ccntral current. By these combined means an upper andlower or two separate currents of hot air are directed horizontally, or nearly so, out from the axis of the lamp, carrying a continuous and unbroken disk or sheet of iiame bctween them, extending over the bell-mouth k and ring o, (if this latter be used.)

As will be seen by Fig. 2, the inner chamber, d, divides the lower part of' the chimney into two parts o1' passages, the strips m keeping the said chamber d in place, and serving also as heat-collectors. 1

To ignite the gas at the burner, the glass of' the lamp may be removed or swing back on a hinge, g, attaching its frame to the plate f, there being also provided a latch, g, or other fastening to secure it in position; or a light may be passed up through a trap-door at the bottom of the glass, or, if it be framed as a lantern, by opening a side door. When the glass is closed the hot air from the flame passes to the chimney c through the spaces at the sides ofthe inner chamber, d. At the same time the air required for combustion is drawn up between the guard j and the outside of the chimney, and then passes by the side passages or apertures, e, into and through the inner chamber, d, becoming heated in its passage, and being drawn down with considerable velocity and directed by the nozzle onto the flame, so that the said flame burns between two currents of heated air directed outward from the ring-burner by the gauze or perforated or divided plate l and button n, the gauze or perforated or divided plate m2 in the interior of the burner equalizing or moderating the internal air-current. The hot products of combustion, rising outside the flame and passing up through the spaces formed by the strips m and the walls of the chamber d, preserve the heat and add to the brilliancy of the light.

Modifications of lamps with burners constructed according to my invention are shown in Sheet 2 of the accompanying drawings. In the arrangement at Fig. 4 the ring-burner bis inelosed in a box or casing, c, which serves as a heating-chamber, from the top of which rise a series of elbow-pipes or air-channels, d, passing through the top plate, e, of the lamp, having a perforated wind-guard, f, over them, outside the glass, and the curtain gl around them, inside the glass. In the center of the plate c is an opening, over which a chimney, g, is placed. When the gas is lighted the flame is carried outward and the hot air rises between the elbow-pipes d and over the top of the heating-box c into the chimney g above. The lamp-glass lz, being attached and fitted to the top plate, c, the draft causes external air to enter by the elbow-pipes d into the box or chamber 4c, which air is thus heated before supplying the flame. By this arrangement the heater is situated entirely within the glass chamber of the lamp, and is separated from and independent of the chimney, which may be loose and removable.

The arrangement for a pedestal-lamp (shown in section by Fig. 5) differs in detail only from the last described arrangement. The glass globe a for this form has openings both at the top and bottom, which lower opening it is desirable should be as small as possible to prevent shadow. Ihe glass a rests. below upon a plate or collar, 11,- round the standard c. Through this standard rises the gas-supply, which finally passes up a short piece of pipe, d, through the center of the burner e, and is fastened to the top cross-channel thereof', by which the gas passes to the burner proper. The upper portion or neck of the heatingchamber f passes through a plate surrounded by a collar, g. The products of combustion rise into the chimney through a circle of tubes, 71, terminating in the top plate, i, from which the burner is attached by a pillar, j. The dotted lines k through this pillar represent a gas-passage which would be provided for the connection of a gas-pipe if this form were arranged for use as a pendent lamp. The air for supporting combustion enters at the wireguard Z, (which may be perforated,) at the base of the chimney, then passes between the tubes l1, and by the neck through the heatingchamberf to the flame. The opening of the glass a fits round the collar g, which passes through it. The short piece of gas-pipe d from the burner enters into a socket in the standard-pipe, and may be made gas-tight by a conical fitting, m. The collar, with the heating-chamber and burner, may therefore be lifted off and the glass removed; but if the lower opening in the glass globe be a little wider than the upper one and rest upon a larger plate on the standard, the glass may be lifted off` over the collar without removing this or its attachments.

In lamps where the glass chamber or lantern a is of large size, as shown by side view and plan in Figs. 6 and 7, and made either of square, hexagon, or other shapes, the series of air-pipes b, radiating from the casing of the central heating-chamber, c, are carried out through the metal rim or collar d, just above the lower glass-work of the lamp, which is framed together and the door closed sufficiently tight to cause the main air-supply to be drawn through the radiating pipes b to the heatingchamber c, to which may be attached external pins or plates, e, to act as collectors and conductors of' heat thereto. The external openings of the pipes b may be protected by awindguard, (il. Gas is conveyed to the burner by the side pipes, g, provided with a stop-cock. 71 is a trap-door for the entrance of the lighter. To concentrate heat upon the chamber c and collect and direct the heated products into the chimney, and also, if desired, to serve as a reflector, an open-top dome or collector, f, (which may be white enameled,) is supported by the radiating air-pipes b. In these arrangements, the heating box or chamber @being entirely isolated from the chimney or its base and within the chamber of the lantern, facilities are given for a variety of constructions, and shorter and smaller chimneys maybe used than in the forms first described, and the length of the pipes b to the frame-work of the lantern IOO IIO

allows them to be bent more or less downward or arched upward, as the circumstances of the design may require.

It will be understood that the wire-gauze or perforated or divided plates for distributing and controlling the supply of heated air to the flame, and also the button beneath the burners, are in all the described modifications arranged in a manner similar to that described with regard -to the arrangement shown in Fig. l. In Fig. 5 the button is shown as being formed on the short pipe d. The perforations in the ring or Argand burner may be at the side, as in Fig. 5, or at the bottom, as in the other gures. I prefer the latter. For outdoor lamps constructed on these, principles, the inner glass may be inclosed within or protected by an outer glass or protector inclosing it in whole or in part, as a protection against fracture by wet, or cold, or otherwise. Where this protector takes the form of a complete outer case, it may have Ventilating air-holes above and below.

The ring end a of the burner b, (shown separately by Figs. 8 and 9,) perforated with the gas-orifices, may be of metal, porcelain, stoneware, or other incombustible substance. In either case this end may be made so as to be detached with facility for the purpose of oleaning out any carbonaceous deposit that may in time collect therein. This removable end a is drawn up into contact with the upper portion of the burner b, and fastened thereto by suitable means-such, for example, as what is known as a bayonet-catch or cam-joint, c, or other equivalent fastening which allows of the ready release of the perforated ring a when required.

In order to prevent dirt cloggingl the orifrees of the burner, a wire or other strainer Vmay beplaced in the gas-channel above the orices, as indicated at x in Fig. 8. In some cases-such, for example7 as when burning a highly-carbureted gas-it may be advisable to admit a small amount of external air into the lamp-casing in addition to that heated and supplied as hereinbefore described.

Having now described the nature of my invention and the manner in which the same may be practically carried into effect, I wish it to be understood that I am aware that gas burners and lamps have been designed and made wherein the intensity of the flame has been increased by heating either the air or gas necessary for combustion, or both of them, by means of heating passages or surfaces situated within, above, or below the flame, and

therefore I lay no claim thereto generally 5 but What I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as my invention secured to me by the hereinbefore-in-part-recited Letters Patent, is-

rlhe combination, in a gas-lamp, of an airheating chamber, a ring, Argand, or equivalent burner situated at the lower end thereof, and provided with downwardly-directed jets, and a disk or button beneath the burner, the space between said chamber and burner, and also the central orifice in said burner, being covered with gauze or divided or perforated plates, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore shown and set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence'of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANCIS HERBERT WENHAM. `VVitn esses:

Gnus. MILLs, l OnARLns Jus. J oNns, Both of 47 Liacolns Inn Fields, London. 

